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I didn’t realize until I was already a block from my apartment, swigging at the post-work out shake. It was strawberry flavored and remined me of a fruity scent Spence had when I first kissed his neck. The urge to head back to the gym was strong, but I had to get ready to see my friend.
Sam and his boyfriend were both at the apartment. They were sitting in the living room, playing on the console hooked up to the TV. Sam desperate for me to meet his boyfriend like he needed my opinion on him.
“Nice to meet you. What do you do?” I asked.
Sam whacked his arm. “He makes costumes.”
“Wait.” My gym bag dropped from my arm. “You’re the bear guy. The raghand fuck guy, right?” I held my hands up like bear paws. I’d actually heard about him from Sam when he’d asked me if I’d heard of him before. It took me through some internet searching but I quickly recalled him.
“Yeah,” he said. “But you can call me Zander.”
“Well, it’s nice to actually meet you then,” I said.
“You have fun at the gym?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, why?” I drank the rest of the shake, it was clumpy at the bottom, but it was protein so I got it all down.
“You go to the gym to cruise,” Sam said. “Or at least you used to. Unless that’s changed.”
I looked from him to Zander. “I had fun,” I told them. “Like you two last night. I forgot how thin those walls are.”
“We’ll keep it down,” Zander said.
“Oh no, you don’t have to. I’m glad you’re both getting some. Fucking makes the world go around, so keep on fucking,” I said, smiling to myself.
The volume on the TV started up again, some type of RPG shooting game.
I went into my bedroom and looked around for lotion. I hadn’t taken any with me to the gym. Lathering up after a hot shower prevented my skin from dying out and that helped the skin from getting little stretch marks where my muscles grew, but it didn’t stop them completely.
My mind continued going back to Spence, trying to recall the information he’d given me. He was a translator for a law firm, he lived alone, and he wanted to grow muscle to protect himself. I tried to think about whether he’d told me when he went to the gym, or how often. I knew a lot about him, except his last name, or anything that could have me contacting him. I wanted to check-in, maybe not right now, but toward the evening when I’d be looking to find someone to spend the night with, and to make sure his ass was doing ok after the session we’d had.
After moisturizing, I lounged around, mostly naked in my room, letting the creams really settle into my skin. I rarely had this much downtime, so I was making the most of it while I could. The only thing on my schedule for the day was an afternoon lunch date with my friend.
Jennifer Cassidy was a friend from childhood. We grew up neighbors, went to the same schools, and we’d even lived together for a couple months in New York. We both had big dreams, and mine turned into working as a flight attendant, while she went to dental school, actually fulfilling her dream.
We’d agreed to meet at a local cafe, between the apartment her work. It was a vegan spot, there were so many of those around lately, but there was something to be said about vegan food, they knew how to pull protein from absolutely anything.
I was early, something that had been engrained in me from work because being on time or late could mean missing your flight and having a mark against your name.
Jennifer’s signature squeal hit as she saw me. I was at a table, looking through some of the specials when she came rushing over. “You’re fucking stacked,” she said. “Jesus, Oscar.”
“Just Oscar, not Jesus,” I joked, pushing out from the table to hug her. “It’s been so long. Why did they send you to school all the way across the country?”
She snort laughed. “Michigan isn’t that far,” she said. “So, when am I scheduling you in for a clean?”
I flashed a smile at her. “I figured we could do it this weekend, or today.”
“You can’t eat like 5 hours before or like thirty minutes after,” she said. “But we could do it next week. You need to tell me when you’re free.” She whacked at my arm, playfully. “Damn. What are you made from?”
“I was always into the gym, you know that,” I told her.
“So, how’s work treating you?” she asked. “Because you don’t have like a Facebook or whatever so I can’t ever see you posting.”
“I text you,” I said. “Should we order before you start at me, acting like my mom when I don’t call for a week.”
Jennifer sucked on her teeth and shook her head. “You better call your mom as well. She’s a sweet woman.”
“I did—fine, I will.”
